Cuba rejects US talks amid Trump's oil cutoff threat

Monday 12 January 2026 - 16:20

By: Dakir Madiha

Cuba rejects US talks amid Trump's oil cutoff threat

President Donald Trump has intensified pressure on Cuba by announcing an end to Venezuelan oil and financial flows to the island nation, demanding in a Truth Social post that Havana "make a deal before it's too late." This follows the US capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on January 3, prompting a sharp rebuke from Cuban leaders who insist on their sovereignty.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel fired back on X, affirming that Cuba is "a free, independent, and sovereign nation" and rejecting any dictation of its conduct. He emphasized that while Cuba does not attack or threaten, it has endured US aggression for 66 years and stands ready to defend itself. On Monday, Díaz-Canel clarified there are no substantive talks with Washington beyond technical migration contacts, though he expressed openness to dialogue based on sovereign equality, mutual respect, and international law.

Cuba's economic fragility underscores the stakes. Venezuela supplied around 26,500 barrels of oil daily last year, covering roughly half of Cuba's shortfall, per shipping data and PDVSA documents cited by Reuters. No shipments have reached Cuba since Maduro's arrest amid a tight US oil blockade. Trump highlighted Cuba's past reliance on Venezuelan oil and cash in exchange for security services to Venezuelan leaders, noting that many of those Cuban personnel died 32 military and intelligence operatives in the US operation that nabbed Maduro.

Energy expert Jorge Piñon from the University of Texas at Austin warned Reuters that halting these supplies would prove "devastating" for Cuba, which requires about 100,000 barrels daily but produces less than half domestically. Mexico has emerged as a partial alternative, though President Claudia Sheinbaum indicated supplies remain constrained.

Tensions have escalated rhetorically. Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez dismissed Trump's claims, denying any monetary or material compensation for security services to other nations and branding US actions as those of a "criminal, uncontrolled hegemon" threatening global peace. Trump reshared a social media post suggesting Secretary of State Marco Rubio son of Cuban immigrants—could lead Cuba, adding his approval, while Rubio had previously cautioned Cuban officials to worry.

Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump told reporters the US is engaging Cuba and aims to address those Cubans compelled to leave. Yet Díaz-Canel's remarks suggest no meaningful negotiations. In Havana, residents voiced mixed sentiments: vendor Alberto Jiménez told Reuters the Cuban people are prepared for anything, while parking attendant María Elena Sabina lamented shortages of electricity, fuel, and even liquefied gas.